Re:Zero Homecoming
by 2Lazy4u
Summary: During the battle against the dreaded White Whale, in a twist of events, Subaru is thrown back into his world alongside with Rem. Seemingly unable to return from whence they came, he and Rem must move forward in their lives with each other from now on. Unbeknownst to them, an evil disaster lingers...
1. Return

The time was now.

All the suffering he has endured will not go in vain he thought.

Now riding into battle against the dreaded White Whale, he hopes for a better future. Never wanting to suffer from his mistakes again. But he knew too well it was going to be inevitable.

But that's what made Subaru more admirable. To have to guts to move on forward despite his shortcomings and frailty. His strength never was in his combat skills or negotiation, but rather the ability to rally others to his cause.

That, Subaru knew he was proud of. But always held the fears of reverting back to his old ways.

He led the charge of the band of warriors he worked ever so hard to gain trust from. Despite being the weakest of all of them, they all knew he was the most courageous. They held him at high opinion the most for that.

Subaru flashed a dangerous smile as he continued to charge at the Whale, riding Patrasche, his personal ground dragon steed, with Rem at his side.

Crusch, the leader of the White Whale hunting party smiled.

"EVERYONE! FOLLOW THAT FOOL!", she commanded drawing her blade as she initiated the cavalry charge with everyone following suit bellowing their battle cries.

The demi-human mage squad open fired and unleashed their magical cannons upon the White Whale, barraging its entire side with magical blasts with no substantial effect. The human mages unleashed their devastating fire spells hoping to ground the beast failed as well. But nonetheless, they kept at it.

Iron Fang members leapt from their battle mounts and boarded the sides of the Whale, cutting into its flesh with whatever weapon they possessed. WIlhelm Van Astrea sliced and diced like a madman with a storm of blades cutting away chunks from the Whale's tough hide. He went even as far as to cutting out its eye from its sockets with his sword and mocking the Beast from the ground, eye hanging from the tip of his blade. He longed for this moment for many years as he planned to avenge his late wife, Theresia, the former sword saint.

The battle raged on with neither side gaining an advantage until the whale decided to make copies of itself and attack from the sky. Wilhelm and several other key important players got injured in the process. Things were not looking quite well.

Subaru dismounted from Patrasche to enact a new plan. To lure the Whale under the Great tree and crush it to death by felling the Grand orchard onto it when it is off guard. It was a risky plan but it was the only shot they got now considering they just simply weren't doing enough damage to the White Whale.

"AL HUMA!", Rem cried as she casted a giant icicle spell with Subaru riding on top of it.

Subaru hung onto dear life as he started reaching towards the Whale high up into the air. The plan was to release a large amount of the Witch's scent in which the whale would begin to divert ALL of its attention to Subaru so that he may lure it under the tree to execute his strategy.

"Uh-oh.." Subaru gulped as he was somehow veering off course. Originally he was supposed to land on top of the White Whale's horn but somehow the current trajectory of the speeding icicle missed its mark… almost..

A sickening squelch filled the air and blood rain down upon the soldier down below.

"Wha..?!" Rem stared upwards surprised, she almosts never misses her mark. But this was an exception.

Blood trickled down the icicle as it made holding onto harder for Subaru. Thankfully, he had already grabbed onto the hairs of the White Whale preventing him from slipping off.

The icicle pierced the remaining eye of the White Whale! It was now totally blind… and more furious than before. It let out a earth shaking cry.

Normally one would think this was a good thing. However, this is the White Whale we're talking about. It was not some average dumb beast, it is a disaster that plagued the land for centuries and it refused to fight blind. It needed to get away for now to heal.

The atmosphere changed suddenly as the air grew tighter and the wind buffeting the soldiers below.

* * *

Crusch was behind the grand tree waiting for the right moment to execute the plan that never came. She was shocked to see what she was seeing. The White Whale was actually retreating! And at such unprecedented speed for a hulk its size!

She refused to let this hunt be in vain as she commanded her steed to charge.

"Everyone! Do not let the White Whale leave the battlefield! Do not let our chance of ridding this disaster slip from our grasps!" Crusch yelled as she started frantically swinging her magic blade trying to cut the whale's belly from underneath.

* * *

"Subaru-kun!" Rem cried out realizing Subaru was still on the Whale. She mounted herself back on Patrasche and gave chase to the speeding whale.

"I know we don't get along too well but please just this once, help me reach him," Rem exclaimed to Patrasche who reluctantly nodded back at her. The noble ground dragon ran with all her might as it bared its fangs and roared with a ferocity like no other, slowly catching up to the whale.

However, Rem knew Patrasche couldn't keep this for very long as she can tell the ground dragon was quickly tiring from her frantic Sprinting. Rem summoned her Magical Morningstar and swung the Metal Spike Ball true to its aim. It extended itself long enough to grapple itself around one of the front fins of the whale. With Patrasche slowing down, Rem felt being pulled into the air as she began to climb the chain upward to her target.

"You are not going to take my reason to die Whale!" she cried angrily as she got closer and closer to her destination.

* * *

Crusch stared into the Horizon, panting in utter frustration as she angrily watched the whale fly away, unable to catch up to it. Her brows furrowed as she glared one last time, raising her sword ready to swing. It was a long shot but it was better than nothing.

If that whale is going to have the last laugh, she might as well leave her mark. Crusch swung with all her might with her peerless sword that cuts at any distance. The green energy soared through the sky towards the whale out in the distance.

Seconds passed…

….

A loud cry was heard from beyond.

Crusch smirked as she delivered a temporary crippling blow to the whale as a huge portion of its tail and fins were sliced off.

"Men! Pursue the beast! Take advantage of it's weakness!" she ordered as they all gave chase despite being so far away.

* * *

"Subaru-kun!" Rem yelled happy to see his face once more.

"Rem?! What are you doing up here?!" Subaru asked in shock.

"Rem came to save you. Grab Rem's hand!" as she reached out to Subaru who was barely hanging on by a Whale's thread.

Reluctantly Subaru reached towards her. As they were mere inches apart, a resounding slice entered the premises. They looked back in surprise to see someone had sliced off the Whale's tail. Must've been Crusch doing they thought as they looked back in the horizon, seeing tiny dots resembling a band of soldiers following them.

The Whale had just managed to cross over the sea, as land seemed to shrink farther and farther away from them.

However, they were not out of their predicament yet. They realized the whale was descending. Especially at the speed it was doing so, they would die if they even tried to land safely.

Subaru eyes widened in shock as he saw the edge of the world. The Great Waterfall and the endless void.

He remembered his conversation with Priscilla and Al back at the Capitol. Everything near the Great waterfall would be swept away by a torrent of water into the unknown.

The whale tried its best to stabilize itself in the air but alas could not.

'Damn it.. To die like this when we were so close…' Subaru thought to himself.

Rem hugged Subaru closely, possibly for the last time.

The two braced themselves for what was to come as they fell through the void.

Lightness filled the air as they felt like floating. Immediately after, everything faded to black.

* * *

It had been hours until Crusch and her group reached the divide between land and sea. The whale was nowhere in sight as they had to rely on eye account witness to discover the Whale indeed went into the ocean. With how far it went, it was extremely possible it got swept away by the Great Waterfall.

…

…

They just simply could not believe it. Of all places in this damned kingdom, the White Whale actually went through the Great Waterfall…

* * *

A loud vibrating sound slowly began to fill his ears amidst the darkness as he began to regain consciousness . It reminded Subaru of his summer days of listening to the cicadas from outside his home. In fact... It sounded too much like cicadas!

Subaru's eye snapped wide open as he remembered his previous predicament. 'The White Whale!' he thought looking around frantically only to see that he was lying in the middle of a grassy meadow. The stars and moon illuminated the night allowing him to see in the darkness. He scanned his surrounding further to confirm he was alone. No White whale in sight. He sighed in relief. Whatever happened, they were now safe.

….

Oh shit! Rem!

He tried to get up onto his feet only to feel dragged down by a weight. His worrying looked relaxed into a calm one as he realized Rem was hugging him closely, dozing away.

"Ha..haha..hahaha…" he laughed to himself as he survived a horrifying predicament for once.

"We're gonna be alright Rem", he said to the sleeping oni as he softly stroked her head.

'She must have exhausted herself from all that fighting', Subaru thought to himself as he pried Rem's iron grip off him to move her into a piggy back carry.

Subaru did not know where he was but was determined to find civilization regardless as he went astray in random directions. Rem's weight did bog him down a bit but nonetheless toughed it out. The walking went on for a few hours as he took periodic rests in between and drank from nearby streams.

Another hour passed by as he decided to take a load off once more. Spying a Bus Stop bench nearby. He set Rem down on the bench and joined her momentarily as he sighed in relief for something to actually sit on.

…

…

'Did I just sit on an actual bench at a Bus stop in the middle of nowhere?' Subaru thought to himself.

His eyes widened in shock as he jumped from his seat to examine the area once more. He couldn't believe his eyes. He ran his hands againsts the light pole believing it was some sort of illusion but felt the rust and dust rub off on him denying his suspicions. Tears of disbelief came running down.

A nearby Rem slowly returns from her short slumber as she yawns and stretches. She is quick to notice Subaru's tears and was slightly confused.

"Subaru-kun? What's wrong? And where's the White While?!" She asked frantically on that last part.

But Subaru didn't respond. He stared at a hill before taking off to it.

Rem easily managed to catch up to him to see him atop the hill fixated on whatever was on the other side. Curious, she walked on over to join him.

Little did Rem knew, she was staring into the future.

A Modern city.

Towers of concrete and steel that dwarf most buildings she's ever seen, lights that brought the night sky to life, intricate roads and buildings that make the ones in Lugnica's look simple. Carriages that zoomed across the roads, made of steel and without beasts of burden to pull it. But what amazed her the most was perhaps all the lights. It's as if the city never sleeps. She has never seen anything like it.

"Subaru-kun… What is this place?" She said, eyes still fixated on the view.

"Rem… I'm home…" he said shakily

"Your.. Homeland?" She questioned curiously. Come to think of it, since Subaru arrived to Roswaal Manor that fateful day, he has never mentioned anything of his origins.

'Subaru-kun looks distraught', Rem thought.

"Subaru-kun, are you not happy that you are finally home after all this time?"

Subaru shook his head.

"Don't get me wrong Rem, I really do appreciate the perks of being at home but I can't just abandon my dedication to Emilia and all the other friends I have made back in your world", as Subaru hung his head in disappointment. "It is likely that I can never return to your world by normal means other than Return by Death…"

"Return.. By death?" Rem queried.

"Ahh…" Subaru's Jaw slacked open. He had openly admitted the one thing he was not supposed to. He cursed his own carelessness. He waited for the return of the Witch's Presence.

…

…

Nothing ever came.

Return by Death was no more it seemed.

Somehow for some reason, the witch no longer was trying to influence him.

Normally, he would be rejoicing to have his freedom back but at the same time, he realized his freedom was now a double-edged sword.

He could no longer benefit from returning back in time any longer. His last checkpoint in life was no more and thus shattered any hope to return back to Lugnica.

Subaru dropped to his knees, realizing the severity of the situation. All the dedication and devotion towards Emilia and her cause was now gone. He will never see her again. Tears welled in his eyes once more. He has failed.

"It doesn't matter anymore…"

It was only a few months back that Subaru first came to Lugnica, a nobody and country bumpkin. A NEET shut in who was basically a failure at everything he tried. But when he was suddenly transported to a new fantasy world, he rejoiced in excitement but soon learned the reality of all of it.

Now that all of the sudden things are finally going his way, it is all taken away as he is whisked back to his old life. To be fair, he truly is happy to be home finally but to Subaru, taking away all that he has achieved and his dedications for others wasn't fair.

"All the suffering I went through, just to make things right.. ALL wasted.." as Subaru began breaking down. "And the worst part is Rem.. you can never go home.."

Subaru suddenly felt a warm sensation as Rem hugged him up close.

Rem dismissed those earlier moments.

"Subaru-kun, do you remember.. Back at the Capitol.. Our conversation?"

Rem will never forget that day. The day where Subaru truly opened himself up to her for one of the first times. Where he admitted his flaws, his arrogance, and how he hated himself. It wasn't just a developing moment for Subaru at the time but also Rem's as well.

For the one of the first times, she was able to come close and relate to him on how he made her appreciate and value herself more and that he made her feel special for once. It was that day she confessed her unyielding love for him and that she promised to be with him no matter what.

"Rem at first wanted to take Subaru-kun's offer on running away together... " as Rem reminiscenced. "But Rem knew that just wasn't like Subaru-kun to give up".

"If Rem were to take you up on your offer that day, Rem would never get to see Onee-Sama again. Rem would run away from her responsibilities at Roswaal's Manor".

"But even after all the consequences, Rem still wanted badly to run off with Subaru.." she confessed. "But Rem declined because she wanted Subaru to be happy in life by pursuing what he saw was right".

Subaru's eye slightly widened.

"So please Subaru-kun, don't give up on life because things didn't go as planned", as she hugged him tighter. "Rem will remind Subaru-kun once more. Even though he might hate himself, Rem loves him for who he is, my hero who saved me from myself".

"Subaru-kun calls himself a failure, but Rem admires him for his will to try and try again despite his own failings", she said as tears began to well up in her eyes as well. "So please, even if Subaru-kun fails, Subaru-kun must keep on going as he will never find happiness again if he stays in one place!"

…

…

'She's right', Subaru thought. 'In the beginning, I made a lot of mistakes and rash decisions, and refused to own up to them resulting in my many deaths. Progressively I learned more from them but it still didn't change my attitude towards life itself. It was only until I steeled my resolve and stopped acting rashly and kept moving forward was when I had better times. I turned enemies into friends and rival into allies when I changed my outlook from being purely selfish in nature. Though Return by Death had its uses, it ultimately did not make me a better person than I was yesterday. It was only when I decided to change my outlook and nature was when I thrived," as Subaru clenched his fist in confidence, a fire returning to his eyes.

While it was true Emilia was his first true love, given his special circumstances, he needed to move on forward or remain in place wallowing in misery. It was a hard pill for him to swallow but he knew the choice was obvious.

'This is one life, I do not want to regret upon, it's the only one I got.'

Subaru responded with a hug of his own as he embraced the blue haired maiden, embracing her tightly and closely than ever before as she was all that he had left while Subaru was all Rem had at all.

"Thank you once more, Rem", as Subaru grinned with his will to continue on once more. The two finally unlatched themselves from each other after their emotional moment.

"Rem... won't you miss your sister though?" he asked.

Rem lightly closed her eyes. "Rem will always love Onee-sama, but of all people, Rem cherishes you the most. Rem will miss her dearly, but as long Rem is with Subaru, Rem will always be happy", as she finished her sentence with tears running down her face.

"So please... Don't cast Rem away, you are all that's left who is most precious to her..." as she extends her hand waiting for a response.

He grasps it, wiping away the lone tear from her face.

"I will never let you go", he promised.

…

"Welcome home.. Subaru".

The two began their descent from the hill under the starry night, down to Subaru's hometown, hand in hand as their fingers entwined with each other tightly.

* * *

Every new journey, begins at Zero.


	2. Reunion

Never had Subaru thought things would end up like this as he walked down the streets of his city, hand in hand with Rem. But since turning in over a new leaf, he accepted the facts.

The night still seeming young as the moon still stood high in the sky.

Subaru deducted it was nearly around witching hour based on experience alone as he remembered the days of pulling all nighters on video games during his life as a shut in. In a few hours, the streets will begin to fill up with for with office jobs and public transportation will begin their services again. He had a hard time admitting it, but he really did somehow miss the sights of the local convenience stores and towering office buildings of his once old boring life.

During their walk to Subaru's home, Subaru had been explaining life in Japan and how their world works and answering other questions such as laws, government, life quality, careers, etc…

"So Subaru's homeworld no longer hosts a Monarchy as a ruling system?" Rem asked.

"Correct. In a world without magic and hierarchies by blood, such as mine, we the people outgrew the need for the Elite classes to rule over how we lived," he explained. "Sure, monarchies worked back then when we lived and died by the sword but as civilization advances, so do the way people think, and thus the idea of monarchies to rule began to be questioned upon, then later replaced", Subaru explained. "There are actually a few countries that still use the Monarchy system but they aren't really major powers however. If anything, royalties are only kept around as per traditional sake than a political one as Japan's current Emperor is essentially a figure head".

"Uwah... So scary of Subaru-kun's world to keep around royalty for fun", Rem remarked.

Subaru motioned Rem to stop walking as they reached an intersection with cars passing by them back and forth as Subaru explained they had to wait for the walk signal before being able to walk safely across the street.

"Sorry for making us walk the distance to my home, public transportation such as the buses don't even start up until later this morning," Subaru apologized. "If we wait any longer, we might attract unnecessary attention to ourselves with your Maid outfit and my disheveled and dirty clothes," Subaru explained.

Rem's maid outfit did stand out of the ordinary and would bring much attention to her holding hands with a dirty mess of a young man who looked like he just walked out of a dirt bath.

Subaru sighed. At the pace they were traveling, he reckoned it would take another two hours just to reach his neighborhood. But by then, people would begin to start their mornings and go out to see them so dirty and tired, giving people a wrong image about the two of them, worrying Subaru.

"It is nothing of concern to me," said Rem as she was enjoying her walk and sightseeing. "It is truly amazing what Subaru-kun's world is able to accomplish with nothing but their own two hands and knowledge. It makes me wish I was born here to enjoy and live a quiet life and luxurious life the common man is able to they way Subaru-kun describes it", Rem said. She then begins to blush a bit.

" This is the kind of environment Rem would wish to raise a family in.. that is if...Subaru…."

It was now Subaru's turn to blush as well as he quickly tried to change the topic but failed.

A sudden but familiar sound of a siren accompanied with flashing red lights blipped in the scene, startling both Subaru and Rem.

"Who or what is that Subaru-kun?" Rem asked a bit confused as what she can describe as a small metallic carriage painted black and white adorned with bright red lights pulled over to their side on the street.

A messily uniformed man stepped out of the vehicle, cigarette in mouth, cap slightly angled on his head.

"It's just our law enforcement Rem," Subaru explained. "Let me handle this," he whispered.

The officer popped the cigarette from his mouth and let out a puff of smoke.

"What are ya kids doin' out this early in the morning. It's literally four in the morning," the officer said with somewhat of a southern Japanese accent you would hear indicating he's not originally from the cities or up north.

"Ya kids better not be up to trouble ya hear? Otherwise I'll -", the officer stopped mid sentence. He smiled knowingly for some reason. "Hmmmmm.. What do we have here?" he grinned as he faced closer to the two.

He noticed Subaru and Rem still holding hands.

"Just two young uns, being all lovey dovey, trying to sneak a date in the middle of the night," as the officer closed his eye nostalgically. "I was young once too ya know, though I do question your choice of wear" as he eyed their attire as well.

'This is my chance!' Subaru smiled as he knew just how to deal with this kind of person.

"Ahh geez old man, ya caught us," Subaru rubbed his head as if he was embarrassed.

"Haha! I knew it," the older man laughed to himself choking on his own smoke and he proceeded to cough.

"My girlfriend and I snuck out to a cosplay party and got lost on the way back to her home!" Subaru said dramatically. "If I don't get her home on time when her family wakes up, my goose is cooked!" Subaru ended with a dramatic pose.

"Ah! Say no more! Hop into my cruiser kiddo! I'll save your goose!" as the officer quickly motioned to his cruiser to the couple.

Subaru smiled as he plan worked.

"Let's get you home Rem, before your dad finds out and kills me," Subaru said making a fake smile. Rem got the message and played along.

Subaru opened the door to the back seats of the cruiser as both entered, first noticing the stench of tobacco. This officer was probably assigned to the graveyard shift for a reason. But nonetheless, they both enjoyed the A/C and decently comfortable seat and they finally could take a load off after hours of walking.

"So kiddo, where to?" The officer asked as he looked back from the driver seat.

"To the other side of the town to the Suburbs please," answered Subaru.

"Wow, quite a little distance you two went," the officer answered back.

Subaru laughed nervously. "Yep! We had a friend drive us there but he passed out after a few drinks so we had no other choice but to walk home but got lost along the way".

The officer took another puff from his cigarette. "How unfortunate for you two then. You're both lucky I happened to be around," the officer smiled to himself.

For the next twenty minutes or so, light hearted dialogue was exchanged between the man and Subaru as if they were old friends.

"Oh.. We just arrived to her neighborhood," Subaru informed the officer. "You can stop now, we should walk the rest of the way, you've done more than enough for us".

The cruiser came to a brief stop along the sidewalk as the couple exited the vehicle.

The driver's side window scrolled down with the officer popping his head out.

"You guys take care now. The name's Tenzo by the way," as the officer gave his lead introduction.

Both Subaru and Rem bowed in appreciation. "Thank you for your kindness Tenzo-san".

With that, the man gave a two finger salute and went on his way. The two watched as the cruiser made its way out of view before moving on.

The two continued on their way for two short blocks until Rem realized Subaru was shaking nervously a bit.

"Is something the matter with Subaru-kun again?" She asked.

Subaru sighed once more.

"Well… I been gone from home for awhile.. And I'm just wondering.. What are my parents going to say?" said Subaru worryingly.

Rem held onto his hand tighter.

"Whatever the outcome, Rem will stick to Subaru-kun's side to support him," she responded.

Subaru smiled. How did he ever deserve someone like Rem to care and support him?

"Thanks."

…

Subaru stopped walking as he made a stop in front of a two story house.

"This is it Rem… the moment of truth.. Whatever happens, please let it.."

The two made their way to the front porch.

Subaru took a deep breath in, and exhaled.

He pressed the doorbell. The familiar chime made its sound through the home. Subaru pressed it once more in quick successions.

...

He heard footsteps approaching from inside.

Locks could be heard unlatching themselves as finally the knob turned.

Subaru felt as if his heart stopped momentarily.

…

A woman dressed in a purple robe was the one who answered the door, hair tied back in a low pony tail, evil gazing eyes, just like Subaru's.

"If this is your kind of idea as a joke, you bett-!"

The woman's eyes snapped right open in shock. She couldn't believe it. She opened the door even wider to step outside, closer to the boy at her front porch.

Her hands stretch out to touch his face. A familiar warmth she yearned to feel once more.

The seconds felt like minutes.

...

"S-Subaru-kun..?" the woman asked, tears falling from her face.

She wanted to believe.

Subaru couldn't meet her gaze and looked down a bit in shame.

…

"I'm home-"

A slap to the face was delivered by the woman before he even muttered three words.

But as soon, as the slap came, a warm and tight embrace was received.

Naoko Natsuki was a woman who seemed cold and uncaring at first glance, but today, she looked like the most relieved mother one can ever think of.

She bawled profusely into Subaru's neck and she refused to let go.

"My baby~My baby..! He's safe..." she sobbed even louder at a volume threatening to wake the neighbors nearby.

Another figure approached from the front door.

"Naoko, what's with all that racket? Is it som-"

The man known as Kenichi Natsuki stood in shock as well. Naoko was embracing their once lost and only son. Naoko took notice of Kenichi's arrival.

"Kenichi! Our son.. He's back!" she said while in between sobs.

Kenichi kept a straight face but a single tear welling up on his right eye said otherwise. He joined in on the group hug around his entire family.

…

Subaru sported a guilty look on his face.

Not once did he think about his family when he was transported to a new world. He did not fully come to appreciate their love and dedication for him, despite them not being around too much. He took them for granted, one of the worst things a child can do for a parent.

The family regained their composure after a few minutes from a touching reunion. The question was asked.

"Where have you been!?" they both yelled.

Lights from inside the houses of neighbors flicked on.

…

They finally noticed Rem on the side.

"Who is that?" Kenichi asked.

His face turned dangerous. "Don't tell me you.. Are taking responsibility?" as he emphasized on that last part.

Subaru blushed in annoyance.

"No no no!" He stammered in embarrassment. "It's nothing like that…. Let's just please take this inside," as he ushered his parents into the house as began neighbors peeking through from their windows.

'This was going to be a long talk', Subaru thought as all four entered the home and closed the door behind them.

* * *

 _At Roswaal Manor:_

There only a few things that can phase Roswaal L. Mathers, the most powerful magician of the land, as he sat unnerved in his office. He had felt that something was amiss.

A knock was heard from his door as it opened to reveal a small petite maid approaching the man.

"Roswaal-sama," the one known as Ram greeted the magician with a curtsy. "I have just received a message from Lady Crusch and her allies," Ram informed.

"Please," Roswaal gestured her to continue and hand over the message as he sipped on his tea.

Ram presented the letter to the magician as he took it from her hands and opened it, reading its content.

…

Roswaal's eyes bulged open in shock as he choked on his tea, coughing. He was not pleased.

The man rose from his chair and threw over his coat.

"Ram, I'm going to be heading out," he said. "Please watch over the mansion while I'm gone. I have some important business to attend to", as he opened his window and flew off at high speed.

* * *

Subaru, his parents, and Rem all sat at the dining table, each with a cup of tea. The tension in the air was so thick, one can easily cut it.

…

The silence was broken by Kenichi.

"After all this time.. Where were you?"

Subaru winced. "I don't think you'll believe me at first but… an entirely different world."

Kenichi slammed his hands on the table. "DON'T FUCK WITH US BOY!" His eyes filled with rage.

"Do you know how much your mother and I worried over you?! All the calls and favors we put in to find you? We thought something genuinely bad happened to you!"

Subaru averted his gaze. "I'm sorry for the trouble you went through, but my last few months weren't exactly a paradise either".

Kenichi and Naoko looked at Subaru with confusion.

"Months?...Subaru… you've been gone for almost one year already".

Subaru's eyes opened in shock.

'No way…' he thought, realizing his parents anguish for the entire year, not knowing whether their son was alive or not. Now all of the sudden he arrives at their doorstep. Their worry and wrath was justified as parents. Time must flow differently from this world and the other one.

"Please.. Just tell us the truth.." Naoko pleaded to Subaru.

"Subaru-kun speaks the truth."

All eyes turned to where the voice came from. It was Rem.

"Subaru..-kun?" Naoko said curious as to why she she added such a close honorific for Subaru. "Are you two.. close?"

Rem nodded in response.

"I'm sorry for the late introduction but, who are you?" Kenichi asked the blue haired maid.

"I am Rem, Subaru-kun's companion," she answered back. "Subaru-kun was taken ,possibly through magic, from this world and ended up in mine. I have spent the last few months with him and have gotten to know him since then", she explained.

Skeptical, Subaru's parents went along. "Okay… and what world is it you're talking about?

Subaru sighed once again. He needed to cut to the chase.

"Rem, show them your horn."

"Her what?" the parents both asked.

On cue, Rem concentrated and presented the glowing protrusion from her forehead as it sparked with life and power.

The parents stared in disbelief, jaw agape.

"I guess I better start from the beginning…" as Subaru rubbed his eyes, preparing himself to recall his journey.

* * *

Home sweet home, I suppose.


	3. New day, New life

It began as a tale of hope and excitement, a dream of a young man, who evidently realized the severity of the situation he was thrown into. Despite being unprepared for it, he continued on and face challenge after challenge and conquered. But there was one common theme throughout his entire journey.

Suffering.

Subaru began his tale, informing his parents what went on during the last few months he spent in a different world. The friends he made, the adventure he set off on, and ultimately, his great suffering and deaths.

His mother cried multiple times throughout his story as his father's face grew grim in horror. Even Rem was surprised of his perspective in all of this. She had no idea he actually died on many occasions… Even some caused by her which sounded extremely probable as she doesn't remember any of them but knew they were a possibility if things didn't turn out the way it did. Subaru was more than just a hero to her now, he was a man who has been broken multiple times and put back together by fate and his own will.

She had no idea how much Subaru suffered. But now she knew that his pain would end soon with his homecoming.

"I don't know what to say Subaru… I'm sorry all this happened to you," his father looked on apologetically.

Subaru shook his head and smiled. "Don't be", he said. "I will always live knowing that I made a difference, that it was not all for nothing, and that I'm better than what I thought I was," he admitted. "Throughout my journey, I devoted myself to a single person in hopes to gain a life that I yearned for. A world that I knew I was special. And perhaps I really was," he continued on. "But at every bump in my journey, I would always make the mistake of putting my selfish needs not for others but for my self satisfaction".

"Perhaps that was what led to my many downfalls, if I wasn't so blind and desperate for self satisfaction for a world where everything went my way", he said. "No such world exists".

…

"The more I died, the more I realized that most of my death were caused by my selfish ways while the others were just plain unlucky," Subaru admitted. "But now, I resolve to live life to the fullest where I make everyone around me happy instead of pursuing my greed of satisfaction".

Subaru ended his enduring tale of adventure and suffering. The sun had just broke dawn as the first rays of light began to reach across the neighborhood. It was now officially the beginning of the day for most people. The start of car engines resounded all around, elderly going out for morning jogs, husbands or wives departing from their homes to leave for work. Just another normal day in the world.

"You've really grown up... Haven't you..?" his mother said. Still in shock in such a gruesome tale her son had to live through. "I believe this concludes the case of your whereabouts for the past year.." she said softly.

"What matters now is that our beloved son is back home now… Right Kenichi?" as her husband nodded in agreement chugging down the rest of his now cold tea.

"Now all that's left is to decide what is to become of the both and you and your future."

"Rem has decided to stay by Subaru-kun's side to help set him straight in life if he ever strays from his path," Rem boldly declared. "Rem seeks Subaru-kun's parents approval".

The two parents smiled, a bit embarrassed.

"After hearing that heart-wrenching story, I'd say, 'Welcome to the family'", Kenichi chuckled.

"You are always free to stay with us Rem," Naoko proclaimed happily. "Oh! We should all have some breakfast soon," as she remembered it was already sunrise.

"Rem would like to volunteer," as she got up to join Naoko in the kitchen but was stopped by the mother.

"Haha I don't think so… Both you and Subaru look like a mess and smell like death," Naoko said truthfully. "How about you two freshen up first instead to start off the day?"

Truth be told, she was right. With all the traveling and fighting they did the day before, they probably did smell like death.

"Ah. You probably don't have anything else to change into," Naoko realized. "But not to worry! I some old spare clothes from my youth that will most definitely suit you", she smiled mischievously.

"Rem thanks Naoko-Sama for her generosity," as she bowed in gratitude.

Naoko couldn't help but smile. "I also consider you part of this family now, just call me mother instead".

'Uwah… reaching to this level of closeness in such a short amount of time…' Subaru thought to himself.

Kenichi leaned in closer to his son. "You really reeled one in Subaru. Never thought ya had it in ya," he whispered.

'My life just got a whole lot more interesting now', Subaru thought unable to keep a straight face.

* * *

Naoko led Rem into their bathroom and handed her a bundle of clean clothes and began a quick overview on the bathroom.

"There's the sink and mirror, toilet, and the walk in shower," Naoko directed, teaching her the basics. "You may change into those when you are finished", as Naoko began to head out. "Enjoy", as she closed the door behind her.

…

Rem first examined herself in the mirror.

Her maid outfit did track some dirt on it and were tattered in some areas.

Rem sighed. She acknowledged that this is was going to be a new start for her in an entirely new world she knew nothing about. Her mind drifted and wondered how Subaru felt when it was him in her current position, only to begin at a worst start. Even with those disadvantages, he came out triumphant. Even more things for her to admire about him.

Rem smiled as she began to remove clothing articles. Like Subaru, she will triumph over any hurdles that come her way in this new life. 'Starting at Zero', she thought. As she stepped into the shower and turned the shower handle.

The rush of cold water that assaulted her petite form but soon got warmer. She had a feeling this was going to take some time to get used to.

* * *

Subaru opened the doors to his room. A sight he thought he was never going to see again. He stepped in and took a good look around. Everything was exactly the way as he left it before his 'disappearance'.

"Hm?"

Subaru noticed something odd. His bed sheets and all his belongings weren't dusty at all. He wondered how this came to be until he came to a sudden realization. "Ah.."

His parents must've kept it like this. Instead of packing everything up and storing it away, it was as if they came in every once in awhile to keep it like this. As if someone resided in here often. A coping method of someone in grief of a lost one, he thought…

Another resolution for Subaru to add to his list. To never have his parents to be sad again like this again.

He began gathering some clothes to change into after his shower.

…

He put the clean clothes into his face and took in a deep whiff.

…

He never thought he'd miss the smell of detergent, as he exited his room, leaving his door wide open, and entering the bathroom in the hallway to shower.

* * *

Rem quickly dried herself off with a towel as she finished her shower as she eyed the bundle of clothes Naoko gave her. She proceeded to unbundle them to try on…

…

Rem looked over herself in the mirror once more when she finished.

A simple button up shirt with short sleeves accompanied with a small skirt and white knee socks. Rem gave herself a twirl and reviewed all angles. They accentuated her figure quite well she thought. As she looked at her reflection one last time before noticing the reflection of the maid's uniform hanged neatly on a clothes hanger.

…

'This is the new her', she thought before turning away to exit the now steamy bathroom.

Rem made it past the living room where she saw strange appliances, a closet, and a flight of stairs.

She wondered where Subaru was at the moment as she quietly made her ways up the stairs, into a hallway.

Rem heard the now familiar sound of a shower running as she saw light coming out from beneath one of the doors in the hallway. She quickly deducted it was Subaru who was in there after confirming his scent. As weird as it sounds, she IS an oni after all, gifted with enhanced senses.

"Ah. Naoko-Sama must be cooking! Rem should help her right away.." as she began her descent down the stairs but immediately stopped in her tracks as she saw a suspicious door…

The room's scent lingers of a familiar scent to her. It was obviously Subaru's personal living quarters.

'I should be helping with house duties as of now…' Rem thought as she tried to make her way downstairs again.

….

….

The temptation proved too much however, as she walked into his room uninvited.

"Rem is such a bad girl…" she said with not a single bit guilt in her voice surprisingly.

She opened drawers and closets and filled her curious mind of knowledge of everything in Subaru's room. Bookshelves full of strange oddities such as Cases made of an unknown material to her, housing shiny discs, books with visually pleasing images and foreign texts to her. Well crafted statuettes of all sizes and colors she's never seen before and found odd. A metal box that hummed softly that was connected to a flatter smaller box on a desk and a tray that held symbols of all kinds as she curiously pressed one. The flat box on the desk sparked to life which surprised her a little.

Finally, she stood above the one thing that was perhaps the key point of Subaru's room.

His bed.

"Rem really shouldn't but…" she quickly smiled as she plopped right on his mattress and sheets, taking in his scent but was disappointed when she discovered these sheets have previously been cleaned, perhaps most recently.

Rem's arm hung off from the bed in disappointment but suddenly felt something, like a paper edge.

"Hmm?"

Curious, she followed her arm and grasped whatever she felt from under the bed and pulled it into view.

A small thinly made book with no hard cover. Perhaps it was meant to be thrown away if it was cheaply made and she opened it to view its content.

!

Her eyes widened as she couldn't comprehend what she was viewing. He face turned redder by the second. Lewd images filled the pages of the booklet she held in her hands.

It was by this time, Subaru finished his shower.

"Haahh… It's been awhile since I felt this refreshed…" as he walked into his room, content with himself.

He quickly noticed the small petite girl sitting on his bed… holding some of his contraband.

Rem looked over to Subaru from the pages, face still red.

'Shit… I should've hidden those better' Subaru thought as he tried to speak a word to Rem but was at a lost for words.

"Rem.. knew Subaru was somewhat lewd but.. At this level…" she managed to squeak out.

Subaru could do nothing but hide his face in embarrassment.

His life was going to get a whole lot more hectic as well.

* * *

 _In another world:_

Roswaal L Mathers finally made it to shore where Crusch's band of mercenary and knights made up camp for the night. Immediately he was informed in further detail on what played out during the battle and the end result, the whale disappearing with Subaru and Rem beyond the Great Waterfall and the endless void. For once in a long time, Roswaal was furious.

* * *

The family and their newest addition sat down on the dining table enjoying a breakfast of a simple omelette and a biscuit with a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice. Rem and Subaru didn't meet each other's gaze while eating as something simply flustered them in the perspective of the rather confused parents.

They decided to put that matter to the side and went straight to business.

"I'm going to cut to the chase here," Naoko announced. "Subaru failed to pass his final year of high school since he dropped out due to personal circumstances and according to the law, Rem is TECHNICALLY an illegal person entering the country", as Naoko's words caused the couple to straighten up.

"With that said, your father and I are going to call in a few favors," Naoko smiled deviously.

Naoko and Kenichi Natsuki, believe it or not, are very important people in their town and were very well liked. The connections they had were perhaps beneficial and scary in a way to outsiders.

"We are just going to have to make fake documentations for Rem for her case while Subaru is going to have to take the _Kōtōgakkō Sotsugyōteidoninteishiken (A/N: An exam for people who didn't finish High School in Japan)_

"On top of that, since Rem is most likely to be living in Japan for the rest of her life, I will take it as my responsibility to help Rem adjust to our modern society," Naoko said which excited Rem.

"Mother is most kind", Rem said in appreciation with Naoko grinning at the prospect of have a new daughter.

Kenichi decided to speak his mind as well. "Well now that's settled, Subaru… Your mother and I realized the reason you turned out this way was most likely our fault from the beginning… leaving you to your own devices and not being around very often… no one kept you in check or questioned your decisions let alone scolded you… For that, we're both sorry," Kenichi said with deep regret in his tone.

"You're not at fault either Mom, dad. If I haven't lied to you from the beginning, perhaps I would've suffered less than I should've…" Subaru said, his turn in being regretful.

Kenichi smiled. "Then I'm glad we're both on the same page here…"

…

"So when can I expect grandchildren?" Kenichi asked making Subaru jump in shock while Rem blushed at the prospect, their reactions making Kenichi chuckle at their expense.

Kenichi's remark earned him a whack on the head with a rolled up newspaper from Naoko who had a tick mark on her forehead. "How eager of you to invest in the love lives of others… Kenichi..." Naoko said menacingly.

"Just..Lightning up the mood… Dear…" Kenichi said rather defensively and afraid as he hobbled away to the nearest corner.

"Rem-chan, how about we go shopping today?.. Just you and me", Naoko suggested to the now recovering blue haired maiden who didn't even have the chance to respond before being dragged to the front door.

"Perfect! Let's go right now," as Naoko grabbed her purse and car keys. "We can leave the boys to tend the dishes and prepare lunch while we're gone," Naoko said while smiling. "And NO ordering take out and being lazy," warning the two men who nodded their heads hesitantly.

"Later," as she excitedly dragged the Rem out with her to the driveway, closing the front door behind them.

…

"Got any ideas boy?"

"Nope."

* * *

Naoko ushered Rem into her car who entered and buckled herself. "Oh? So you've been in a car before?" asked Naoko who was now backing out from the driveway.

"Yes, I had experienced my first car trip in the back of a 'Police car' as Subaru-kun called it," Rem said as, giving Naoko the wrong impression as her face slightly faulted.

"To be honest, ever since Rem arrived, she always wanted to come visit the marketplace of this world," she said with a smile. The fact remained that in every civilization, the marketplace was where the heart of human interaction was and the distributor of many cultures unimaginable.

"From the way you describe your world, it sounds almost medieval in a way, so I reckon you are going to be in for a treat as we make our way to our nearest 'Hypermarket'", Naoko said delighted.

"Hyper.. Market?" Rem said with even more curiosity this time. Never had she heard a term like that before.

"I won't spoil it for you, so you're just going to have to wait and see," Naoko said with a happy face. "I'm just so excited, I finally have a daughter whom I can go shopping with and relate to finally".

Rem felt her heart skipped a little. What was this feeling perhaps? It was something she hasn't felt in a very long time.

The love of a parent.

Rem wiped a tear for her eye. In such little time since she arrived, she had already been accepted into a loving family. Truly Rem felt blessed.

…

She vowed to make the best of this new life.

Rem continued to look out the car window to see an even busier and bustling public than it was before at night. "So many people…" she said aloud.

"Mhmm… To be honest, this town and its population is pretty average among the nation.. I'd say.. Between 600,000-800,000 I suppose," said Naoko trying to recall her memory. "Tokyo, our nation's capital is probably home to over 13 million people alone".

That came to a shock to Rem. When compared to the kingdom of Lugnica whose population was close to 2 million, a single city in this world surpassed an entire country in population entirely. 'The resources required to maintain such a population must be staggering…' she thought. Rem wanted to learn everything that is to this world, and more…

* * *

 _Ten minutes later:_

The car stopped as Naoko parked in an empty lot in a sea of other cars. Naoko stepped out while Rem followed suit. "Here we are!" she said in a sing song tune.

Rem looked on and observed an enormous building. It looked rather plain on the outside but knew it was the insides that count.

* * *

" _In other news, seismic activity has been detected as of last night near the harbor, prompting locals to prepare for a flash flood, or worst, a tsunami. Our geologists say the likelihood of any of those to happen are~"_

Kenichi changed the channel as he switched to either his comedy sitcoms or dramas.

"Subaru, finished with those onigiris yet?" Kenichi asked while frying some shish-kebabs.

"Almost…" as he started filling the rice balls with a tomato filling.

The two settled on the decision to make a small Barbeque meal with onigiris as a side dish for lunch.

…

"Say Subaru… Serious question. Father to son. Man to man", Kenichi said while continuing his work.

"Uh.. Sure.." said Subaru reluctantly, putting down the rice balls.

"How does Rem feel about you exactly?" Kenichi asked. "Because from the looks of it and the way she looks at you, it is very obvious she is holds you dearly."

Subaru felt uncomfortable with the conversation but went along with it anyways.

"Yeah… She says she loves me… And I certainly have no doubts she does", Subaru admitted feeling his heart flutter.

"And for you the same way to her?" Kenichi followed up.

…

"Yes. I do," Subaru admitted.

"And what about that Emilia girl you devoted yourself to so much as you said in your story?" Kenichi asked.

…

"I've come to terms with the reality of things father… Only looking back on my regrets will cause me only more pain later on…" said Subaru. "I won't focus on what I have lost, but rather what I have left and will cherish every moment of it. Otherwise everyone will see me as pathetic and pity me, don't you think?"

…

Kenichi began to softly laugh. "What a terrible father I am. To think my son gained more wisdom by himself than from his own father at his age", as Kenichi smiled to himself.

"Yeah, you're the worst", Subaru said smiling as well.

"Ah.. how cold…" Kenichi replied to his son's response.

…

"Oops… I burnt some meat…"

* * *

He's really grown up.


	4. Learning

Rem walked through the entrance of the Mall/Supermarket. Having never seen anything like this, she wanted to explore.

It was common back in her world where marketplaces had stalls in which products/produce would be sold and stores would be lined up next to each other in separate buildings. But here, everything was all combined into one, it felt like to her. Perhaps by creating the idea of all these different stores in one giant building gave the illusion of shopping in one store after all. 'How ingenious,' Rem thought as she followed Naoko.

There were many wonders to behold around these parts as Rem couldn't help but hungrily stare with her eyes. Moving pictures in flat boxes, strange but pleasant and catchy music, flashing lights, but most of all, an endless array of culinary possibilities as she caught a glimpse of the Grocery section. Aisles and aisles of food products lined up neatly and strategically to catch the most attention.

Rem was snapped out of her amazement when Naoko spoke up. "We will do some grocery shopping later. For now, let's get you some new clothes."

Rem nodded as she followed Naoko in the clothing department. Rem inhaled the smell of clean fabrics, as she walked through the array of clothings, feeling and observing the different kind of fabrics there were. Indeed there were different kinds fabrics that she had never seen before as she felt the smooth texture of the polyester clothings and jeans.

"Rem-chan!" Naoko called out already holding a set of new clothes. "Why don't you try these out. I think they would look great on you," Naoko said while pointing to the dressing room nearby.

For the next twenty minutes, the two continued their clothing shopping spree as they settled with eight different set of clothes, a nightgown, and a pair of new converse shoes.

"Rem-chan, I know this will probably getting used to for you but our world is perhaps extremely limited on the knowledge of magic," Naoko explained as they both walked towards the electronic department. "We primarily rely on our science and logic as opposed to your world's magic."

Rem did notice the gap between her world and this in terms of technology and standards of living.

Within thirty minutes, Naoko had specifically picked and bought a blue razor flip phone, a laptop and tablet. She was determined to help Rem adjust to modern society as she began to explain the devices to her.

"This is called a cell phone. It sends and receives signals from local service areas and functions as a communicator, both close and long distances," she explained. "These two items are a laptop and a tablet. They can connect to a wireless internet service called wifi and allows you to access to a global database. This is perhaps one of the more important tools to own when living in the modern age."

Rem stared as the new devices as her mind was slightly boggling from the new conveniences. She listened in surprise and astonishment as many labors from her world would become obsolete the moment these came along. Courier mail/messaging would become a thing of the past as communication would no longer become a major issue, and great libraries and education would become secondary options thanks to technological advances such as this.

In her world, items like these would've been called a 'Metia' and would've probably fetched a extreme high price due to its exotic origins and unknown functions. But for a device like this to be common throughout the public must've meant life here was made to be convenient and busy.

Sure, there were some actual similarities between her old home and now. Just imagine replacing some modern conveniences with magic instead of logic and science. For example, time was told here by machines whilst time was told by magic color changing crystals back in her world.

Rem did felt a bit uneasy with all the strenuous shopping, especially most of it for her.

Naoko is sometimes known to be an air-head by both Subaru and his father but even she knew how Rem probably felt at the moment. "Don't worry Rem, I don't consider you a burden. After all you've done for Subaru, this is the least I can do. So please, don't feel discouraged and uneasy, otherwise you might make Subaru and I sad."

Rem eyes lit up with the mention of Subaru. "My apologies."

Not a day yet spent in this new world and she was already thinking about employment. But for now, she settled with the fact that she had to learn more.

The two continued on with their shopping spree.

* * *

 _At home two hours later:_

Lunch preparation was just about finished as Kenichi accidentally burnt some meat as the two men hurriedly tried to hide his mistake dumping out the burnt food and make a new batch.

So far so good, they both thought. They suddenly heard the lock to the front door unlatching themselves.

Rem and Naoko had just arrived home. A small petite figure held a surprising large amount of items and bags as she walked through the front entrance while Naoko seemed dwarfed by her in comparison.

"My my, you weren't exaggerating when you said she was strong Subaru," she said witnessing Rem's Oni strength for the first time as she effortlessly carried about 80% of the items herself and set them down to the side.

Rem sniffed the air.

"Rem smells burnt meat," she said nonchalantly.

'BUSTED!' the two men thought as they gauged Naoko's reaction, her glare piercing their forms.

"To clarify, it was all dad's fault," Subaru said, quick to throw his dad under the bus, earning him a comedic glare from Kenichi while Naoko was now tugging on Kenichi's ear.

Rem couldn't help but smile. It's been a long time since she felt just at home and happy. For too long had she always held an unemotional persona as the head maid of the Roswaal mansion. But the more time she spent with Subaru, she felt that facade slowly chip away as she could finally be true to herself.

The family soon settled down and began to prepare the table.

"Subaru, be a dear and get the Mayonnaise," said Naoko as she passed out the plates.

Subaru nodded as he nostalgically walked to the fridge and pulled out the all too familiar jar. Good old-fashioned Japanese store-brand mayonnaise. He was tempted to stick his finger in to sample but decided against it as he brought the jar to the table.

"Ah… Mayo," Rem remembered her time back in the Roswaal mansion where she and Subaru experimented with a variety of ingredients to recreate the so called Mayonnaise Subaru mentioned. It was a long and hard effort in the mansion's kitchen but eventually became a success. It surprised everyone living there and mayonnaise became a big hit as Roswaal himself ordered to have a large batch to be stored away for later use much to Ram's displeasure of making since Rem was unable to due to a certain event.

Originally Subaru used the idea of making mayonnaise as a way to boost Rem's self esteem but in the end, the plan horribly backfired as she became traumatised by the white gooey substance which resulted her in getting a scolding from Subaru back then.

"Oh! Rem, have you tried mayonnaise before?" Naoko asked Rem who slowly nodded but hesitantly.

"Thanks to Subaru and our hard work, we both managed to recreate mayonnaise and it became extremely popular back in the Roswaal Mansion," she explained still looking visibly uncomfortable from the mayonnaise.

"Is there something wrong?" Naoko asked. "Is it perhaps you dislike mayo?"

Rem shook her head. She honestly did enjoy Mayonnaise, but the trauma that came from it was overbearing as she remembered that certain event from the Mansion.

Subaru grimaced at the thought of that certain memory as well. All the perfectly good mayonnaise… He didn't think Rem would take his figure of speech literally at the time.

"That.. might be my fault.." Subaru admitted as he told the story of Rem filling the Bath house full of Mayo thinking Subaru would've died if he didn't swim in Mayo. It was a figure of speech that he didn't think Rem would take seriously.

Naoko and Kenichi sat there mouth agape but soon began to laugh their asses off.

"Whelp. Can't beat that I suppose," Kenichi said in between laughs.

"While we are a family of Mayo fanatics, we can't make the darn thing if our life depended on it," Kenichi admitted. "Even Naoko got tired of her failed attempts and just settled on store-brands."

Naoko sighed in exasperation. It was true. Not even she could manage to prepare mayonnaise fit for consumption.

The family continued their lunch and exchange light hearted dialogue which mostly consisted of both Kenichi and Naoko pleading to Rem to help prepare mayo for their household from now on.

* * *

 _Roswaal Manor:_

Emilia sat at the edge of her bed, viewing the night sky. Puck yawned, getting ready for bed as well.

"Something the matter Lia?" he asked.

Emilia continued to look outside her window. "I don't know Puck, maybe I was a bit harsh on Subaru at that time…" she said remembering the last time they met.

"Ah still thinking about that? Just let it go. It's for the better I suppose," Puck yawned once more. "Goodnight Lia," as the spirit disappeared into Emilia's gemstone.

Emilia once more looked out her window at the full moon. She just couldn't shake the feeling of something has gone awry as she finally made her way to her bed and throw over her sheets.

* * *

After a satisfying lunch and multiple attempts to urge Rem to get over her Mayo traumatisation, the family began to clean up after themselves. Subaru and Rem took the liberty of doing the dishes while Kenichi wiped down the table and Naoko swept the floor.

Rem happily washed plates and utensils standing by the one she adored most. Subaru simply scrubbed the other dishes with a sponge with a somewhat blank look on his face and a small smile.

Never would he have ever imagined the day where he would return on home, he thought over and over again. Perhaps it was fate that he ended up back here he thought. But in the end he knew that people should not simply expect everything to go their way in life.

In the past loops, he knew Emilia was in danger of the Witch Cultists as she had died in every time loop thanks to them. He sought to prevent those events from ever happening but in turn had to sacrifice something great in order to achieve his goals. But now… he was home. Nothing he could do.

He contemplated on the realisation when he first saw his hometown and broke down in tears knowing he has failed. It was only thanks to Rem was he able to pick himself back up and to move forward despite his failures. Like she said, 'It's easy to give up… But it doesn't suit Subaru' .

Thanks to those words, he come towards to the conclusion that maybe his actions may or may have not lead to a difference in the future. He may never know at all. But all he can now do is keep moving forward, not alone however, as his mind drifted to the girl next to him. He had come to terms with the past and accepted them.

He now had to focus on the present.

"Something the matter Subaru-kun?" asked Rem as Subaru snapped out of his daze. "I-It's nothing," he replied as they both finished the task at hand.

The next hour was spent readying the guest room for Rem and both her and Subaru dusted off some bed sheets. The only things in the room was a bed, cabinet/mirror, a clock, a closet, and night lamp. A very basic room. But it was more than enough for Rem at the moment.

Subaru began to start teaching her the language of his country on paper as he remembered his lessons from the other world. Having Ram, Rem, and Emilia teaching him the written language of their world helped him immensely on translating the language of her world to Japanese Kanji. There was a lot of work to be done, he thought as he knew how complicated the written language barrier can be at times.

Subaru pulled out some notepaper and a pencil and began translating the basics of each language and relating them to one another. It was a little confusing at first for the both of them but Rem manage to make at least some progress thanks to Subaru's help.

Rem marveled at the neatly lined white parchment and the wooden pencil as she was very more used to a different kind of material and an ink quill for writing. With this pencil, you could erase mistakes and write more haphazardly than you could with an ink quill, she thought.

For the next few hour while Rem began practicing her writing, Subaru took the liberty of setting up her laptop and tablet.

'Mom is really is going all out for her it seems,' Subaru thought as he booted up the system and began set up for the new devices. It wasn't exactly top of the line products but it was very reliable in terms of usage as it contained a decent processor.

"Hey Rem, what time is it?" he asked while momentarily connecting the devices to the wifi.

Rem face held a confused look. "I do not know how to tell time in this world Subaru-kun," she said.

Subaru mentally slapped himself for subconsciously asking that question. "Ah sorry about that. You see, in this world we tell time by just looking at the sun and moon like normal people," he joked as Rem pouted from his teasing.

"Haha sorry sorry…" he apologized. "We tell time through a device called a clock."

"C-clock?" she repeated hearing this new term.

"Mhmm.. It's a small mechanical device that keeps track of time," as he pointed to the mechanical clock hanging on the wall nearby.

To Rem it looked a little strange but even she could probably tell what the hands and symbols on the clock represented.

Subaru explained that his world, much like her's, used the 24-hour system as well to represent a day. Each hour representing one entire rotation around the clock with the large hand and a small indent with the smaller one.

He explained with the mechanical clock, you cannot tell whether it was the morning or afternoon so you would have to look outside beforehand and know. To tell a more accurate time, people turn to the digital clock as Subaru took out his phone to show her what a digital clock looks like.

He was thankful that for some odd reason, numbers stayed the same in his world and her's.

He taught her how to read both the Mechanical and Digital clocks as she noted that this way was perhaps more accurate than trying to read time in her world through magic crystals. To her understanding from knowledge of her own world and this one, Wind time was 12am-6am, Fire time was 6am-12pm, Water time was 12pm-6pm, and Earth time was 6pm-12am, therefore starting a new day. She quickly understood the concept and read that it was currently 6:04pm.

'Almost time for dinner,' Subaru thought.

Earlier Rem asked to help make dinner but Naoko somehow convinced her otherwise that she should take more priority studying instead and to leave the tasks up to her.

"Oh! I just remembered Subaru-kun," as she dug through her pocket to retrieve something when she saw Subaru's phone.

She pulled out a rectangular blue device. It was her own cellphone.

"Naoko-Sama said that this is Metia, just like Subaru-kun's," she said showing Subaru. "She also mentioned something about numbers," she said a little confused.

"Right. People with cellphones may contact other people or locations with phones as well," he began explaining. "We use numbers to identify our individual devices and input other numbers to contact other people in this world," as he took Rem's phone and began punching in his number and dialed as moments later his phone began to ring.

Rem was obviously impressed with this device. Now she can contact Subaru whenever she wants she thought.

Subaru handed the phone back to her. "I saved my contact in the phone's memory so you can call me at any time."

Rem smiled at the prospect but got suddenly startled when the phone vibrated in her hands. "Subaru-kun, what do I do now?"

Subaru held his own phone in his hand. "I just sent you a text. It's basically like I sent you a small letter," he explained as he motioned Rem to flip open her phone to read the message.

She flipped it open as a menu popped up and showed her a small window with some Japanese texts on them. "Hel…-lo?" she tried her best to read it with what little knowledge she had just learned.

Subaru grinned, "Correct. You're much smarter than you say you are Rem," he said while Rem simply enjoyed the praise. He began to teach her the basics on how texting works and combinations of numbers you have to press to get a simple letter out. It took a little but Rem managed to submit her own text in which Subaru's phone vibrated as well as she simply responded with a 'hello' as well.

"Not bad for your first time," Subaru said as they both grinned.

Rem was originally his first "date" and is now the first girl he ever exchanged his number with.

...

"Subaru-kun, a stalker watches us," Rem said as he looked at the semi-closed door entrance to her room.

"How harsh of you Rem-Chan," Kenichi joked as he opened the door scratching his head. "I came to tell you two dinner is just about ready but couldn't help myself to listen on you two," he said unashamed of his eavesdropping.

With that, the three made their way to dinner.

* * *

 _Back in Lugnica:_

Wilhelm Van Astrea was often a man of few words and more action. For over a decade, his sole wish was for the death of the White Whale and to enact his revenge for stealing his beloved wife, Theresia Van Astrea, the previous sword saint. He gazed down the horizon of the ocean, unable to do anything. Somehow, he felt a little more empty. It was possible the Whale got lost in the endless void of the great falls, but that did little to convince Wilhelm of its defeat. His thoughts drifted to the strange young man who was the sole reason this entire event transpired. He was the reason Wilhelm was given the opportunity to avenge his fallen loved one. But now… he was gone too… also taken by the blasted white whale.

"Subaru-dono… Forgive me…" the ex-knight turned butler muttered to himself.

Nearby Roswaal L. Mathers conversed with Lady Crusch as to what transpired in the past few hours. He looked very distraught at first when hearing what happened but calmed down. His arrival was rather brief as he came to confirm the news he received and promptly left.

* * *

Dinner was rather uneventful and brief as they simply had stir fried beef mixed with assorted vegetables and rice as the family talked about current events and future plans. It was decided that teaching Rem more about the world would become a rotated task as the family would take turns tutoring Rem, much like how Subaru went through at the Roswaal Mansion in his first week. Dinner was finished quietly as once again the couple washed the dishes while Naoko and Kenichi tended to the other clean up duties.

The two eventually made it back to the guest room to continue Rem's studies and to teach her more about this world. The rest of the day went by without a hitch.


End file.
